Cynophobia

☠₁☠

"Cyn, whats the status on the valley?"

"Clear," I replied. "There were a few Cynoids roaming near the opposite treeline, but other than that its empty."

He nodded in approval. He ran a hand through his black spiked locks. He had deep, solemn brown eyes that were always alert.

We heard the clatter of metal and pulled out our weapons. Cairo cursed when she emerged from behind the trees, "Jesus Rose! We thought you were one of them!"

"Sorry..." she mumbled hanging her head. Her hazel eyes sparkled when she remembered what she found. "I searched the car that we found a few meters back, I found a first aid kit and some flashlights."

Cairo prodded the items Roselyn confiscated from the broken down van. He shook his head, "We can keep the first aid kit, but ditch the flashlights, they give off too much heat when in use."

I picked up the first aid kit and placed it inside my backpack. The four of us tried to travel lightly. Our party was made up of myself, Cairo; our leader, Rose; our clumsy scavenger, and Ray; our hunter and brawn. I was the scout, I was quick and could easily dart around looking for openings to travel through. My weapon of choice was my electrified pole, a metal hiking pole with a rubber handle. I loved to experiment with it. I figured out how to make it electric with a solar powered battery pack. It temporarily stunned any unlucky Cynoid that I landed a hit on.

Ray returned soon enough with a rabbit in each hand. He threw the rabbits on the ground near our leader's feet. " I found food."

We had to be quick at eating. Even though we discovered the Cynoids didn't have the ability to smell, they could sense heat from yards away. The Cynoids I spotted were a good five miles away, but you could never been too careful.

I knelt down and lit a fire on the kindling Cairo collected. Rose watched appalled as Ray skinned the rabbit. Our temporary camp was near a stream. We always tried to get rid of any evidence of us being here. Even the slightest speck of blood on the ground would send nearby Cynoids into a frenzy.

I sat on a stump and waited for the rabbits to cook. It has been over two months since the Cynoids came. It felt like we've been out here for years. It was my first day back from after the accident...

I had returned to school after the incident. I was hit by a drunk driver a month and a half before, no one thought I was going to make it. I made a shockingly quick recovery and returned to my high school. I was just sixteen, and one day, they came. I wasn't at the end of the day, it was right at the school. Over one hundred of them came pouring into the school, their synthetic, razor-sharp teeth ripping into the nearest breathing thing. I grabbed my best friend Rose and ran for the roof. We barricaded ourselves up there. We sat in silence, praying they couldn't reach us.

I was going to curse myself for trapping ourselves, but in the end I was glad I did. I was able to get a good look at the town, and the school. The entire campus was surrounded. The horrific screams of my classmates filled the air. Rose, who was always happy and cheerful, was crying and trying to block out the noise.

Eventually, the majority of them left. Their fur and fangs covered in blood. The screams died down, I shivered. Rose was shivering from the cool winds, there was little protection from the cold on the roof.

A few feet away, I saw the secret hatchet to the roof shift. Rose was petrified with fear, we didn't want to end up like the rest of the school. I looked around desperately and grabbed a crowbar laying near an old plank that had nails in it.